Combination chair and table for body massaging and muscle manipulation



G. HAMPTON COMBINATION CHAIR AND TABLE FOR BODY MAS SAGING AND MUSCLE MANIPULATION Sept. 9, 1947.

Filed Sept. 16, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1941. G. B. HAMPTON 2 421,053

COMBINATION CHAIR AND TABLE FOR BODY MASSAGING AND MUSCLE MANIPULATION Fil'ed Sept. 16, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HNVENTOR Patented Sept. 9, 1947 COMBINATION CHAIR AND TABLE FOR BODY MASSAGING AND MUSCLE MANIPU- LATION George B. Hampton, Spokane, Wash., assignor to H. F. T. Company, a corporation of Washington Application September 16, 1946, Serial No. 697,288

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combined chair and table for use by osteopathic physicians, physical culturists, and others who treat the body by massaging and manipulating the muscles. One object of the invention is to provide a combined chair and table having a back and leg supporting portion so mounted that they may be tilted from a normal position to a position in which they extend horizontally in align-.

ment with the seat portion and thus allow a patient to be shifted from a seated position to a reclining position where the patient will be supported in such position that the doctor, nurse, or other attendant may conveniently perform the necessary massaging and other manipulations required for treatments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the back and. the seat are provided with padded body-engaging and supporting members so mounted that they may have movements imparted to them which greatly aid in massaging and manipulations to be applied.

Another object of the invention is to provide motor driven means for imparting movements to the padded members and thus allow them to be applied automatically during operation of the motor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction and eflicient in operation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective viewof the combined chair and table.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally through the table and chair, as at line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing the back and the leg support in a horizontal position.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 66 of Figure 3.

This combined chair and operating table has a body or frame I which is formed of metal and has a bottom 2, front and rear walls 3 and 4, and side walls 5. Skids B are provided at opposite sides of the frame or body to support the same and allow it to be easily shifted from one place to another, and these skids have end portaken tions bent upwardly and inwardly and secured under side edge portions of the bottom 2 by'bolts l. The top 8 of the body is carried by the front and side walls but terminated in spaced relation to the rear end of the body, and upon referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the rear wall is of reduced height in order to provide an opening 9 across the top of the rear end of the body.

The back ill of the chair is of hollow formation and its front wall II is formed with slots 12 and I3 through which pass the shanks l4 and ii of the head rest l6 and the shoulder pads H. The head rest extends across the upper end portion of the back for. the major. portion of its width and the shoulder pads are disposed in side by side relation to each other. By this arrangement the head rest may be shifted along the back to adjusted positions and the shoulder pads may be shifted along the back and also have. reciproeating movement imparted to them. Ears l8 project from the back at opposite sides of its lower end and these cars are pivoted to theside walls 5 of the body I to mount the back for vertical swinging movement from the raised position shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2 to the lowered or reclining position indicated by dotted lines in these figures. A brace 20 having telescoping upper and lower sections 2| and 22 is disposed midway the width of the basefat the back thereof and has its upper and lower ends connected with the back In and the rear wall of the body by ball and socket joints 23 and 24, and since the lower section has its upper end portion formed with a longitudinally extending slit 25 and carries a threaded compressing ring 26 the back l0 may be tilted to adjusted positions and the ring then tightened to clamp the upper end of the lower bracket section about the upper brace section and firmly hold the back in the adjusted position.

The shoulder pads are to be reciprocated along the back in order to have massaging contact with a patient and in order to do so there have been provided pitman rods 21 which extend longitudinally of the back, within the same, and have their upper portions passed through openings formed in the arms of the shoulder pads and carry springs 28 and 29 which permit the rods 21 to have a certain amount of movement relative to the arms I5 at ends of their movement in opposite directions; The lower or front ends of the pitman rods are provided with collars 30 which fit about eccentric disks or blocks 3| fixed upon a shaft 32. This shaft extends transversely of the lower end portions of the back and at its ends is rotatably mounted in bearings 33 carried by the back at opposite sides thereof, and near one end the shaft carries a pulley 34 about which is trained a belt 35 which extends downwardly into the body and has its lower portion engaged about a pulley 36 carried by a shaft 31. This, shaftzBJF extends transverselyi'ofthe body and in-addition-tothe small pulley 36 also carries a large pulley 38 about which is trained a belt 39. The pulley 38 is disposed over an eleetric motor 48 mounted upon-the bottom- 2 ofthe body and the lower portion of? the:belt:,39;is*

trained about a small pulley 4| carried by the shaft of the motor, and upon referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that due to the; relative; sizes of the pulleys rotary motion will be transmitted at reduced speed from the motor to the shaft 32 and the back pads caused to be reciprocatedtati such. speed that while they will have good massaging. contact with the back of a patient they willnot cause irritation ,due tomoving at too fast a speed.

Over'*the'top:wall 8- of the body is disposed a seat orplatform 42which-is covered by a pad 43and -at its corners carries hinge brackets 44 which-are of-finverted U -shape and-mounted for swinging movement by bearingsw; Lower ends of'the armsofthebrackets are-bent to'fo rm pintles. 46 which are rotatably mounted through bearings 41;carriedby thetop ofthe body. By this arrangement the platform or seat: willbe mounted foit'oscillating movement-and also-have vertical": pulsating. movement as it' moves longitudinally. A block 481s mounted under the platform and'tothisblock is pivotally'connected'the front. end, of a. pitman rod 49 which extends longitudinally, of, the body andat its rear: end is provided ,witha collar engagedabout an ec-. centricodisk 52"mount'ed upon the'shaft32midway the length thereof. Therefore during rotation of thetshaft the platform 42 will be manipulated as Well; as the shoulder, pads and' manipulations applied, tomuscles and? organ of the patients body.. Aiclutchfil is provided. onrtlieteccentric 52 whiehlis :operatedi by pulling. on pushing knob 63; This allowsthe shoulder pads- Ill to bereciprocated, but the seat portion 42; may be disengaged throughclutch 67 thereby( imparting no movementto that. portion;

The section 53 at the 'frontof the -chair is connected with the-lbody-byt hinges 54ifort vertical swinging, movement to: adjusted positions. and has itssfree front or; lowerend portion-provided with a foot boardt 55lagainsttwhich pads-56, are mounted; A-pad 51- covers the front-sectionand extends-from itsirear endto la point spaced .rear wardlyfrom- :the foot board; thus providing; space forvan auxiliary; pad 58rwhich-fits snugly-(between the pad 51 andthepad 5Bwand'is'removable-from the front section. When the pady58ris removed openings 59, through which pins-carried=by the pad" 58.:engagawill be-rexposedand a padded roll Ellsserving asralleg restwmay'be-setlin place'and lihfildOWllWfildlY. bent end of, its anchoring arm 5:! engaged through one of; the openings to hold the" legjrestz. in", place uponlthe pad 51: If so desired two-of. thezleg rests maybe used :and each have itsranchoring armengagedi in an opening 59 orra longer leg rest: having: two anchoring arms used andrits two anchoring arms engaged'imthe openings.- bracket SZ iscarried by the front sectionatthe rear or underface thereof and-to this-bracket is=-pivotally mounted arack bar 63 which passesthrough a slot 64 and is formed along itslower edge "portion with teeth -65 -for 'engaging the rounded edgefifi at' the lower-end-of the slot and releasably holding the lower section in an adjusted position.

When the chair is in use the patient sits upon the padded platform with his back resting against the pads I! and his lower legs against the padded front section; The front section is. swung upwardlyto the raised positionxandthe-back swung downwardly to the lowered position, thus providing a table upon which the patient rests. The motor. may then bestarted and rotation of the shaft 32 will'causei the shoulder pads to be reciprocated and the platform 42 to be reciprocated and also moved vertically with an undulating movementgwhich isbeneficial to the muscles and internal organs of the patient. If so desired the motor may be stopped and the operator apply massaginggandr manipulations by hand or hand manipulations may be applied while the motor is running and the platform and the shoulder pads in motion. The padded roll or rolls will be used forsupporting the'legs of the-' patient while leg muscles are being-massagedand' if 'so desired the patient may reverseupon thetable and'the rolls-usedas armsupports while massaging arm muscles;

Having thus: described the invention; what is claimedis:

1'; Anoperating chair comprising a body, a back-pivotedtothe body for vertical swinging movement to raised and=lowered positions, a leg support at thefront of the body-pivotally mounted for vertical swinging movement to raisedand lowered positions, a platform over the body mounted for reciprocating movement longitudinally of thebody and for-movement toward and away from the body-during itsreoiprooating movement, pads at the front of the said back shiftable longitudinally thereof and having shafts passing-through slots in the-back, a shaft rotatably mounted transversely of the lower end'iof thaback, eccentric disks-carried'by saidshaft; pit-man rodsconnected with the platform and the shanks of said pads, said rodsihaving collars fitting. about the said' disks for causing longitudinalireciprocating movement of the pads and the platform duringrotation of said shaft; a motor in said body, and means-for-transmitting rotary motion at reduced speed from the'motor to saidishaft 2'. An operating chaircomprising a body; a back tiltably mounted" at the rear of the body, a leg support tiltablymounted at the front of the body, means for supporting the back and the leg support in adjusted positions, a platform-over the body mounted for reciprocating movement and having movement toward and away from the body duringsuch reciprocating movement; pads at the front of the back mounted for reciprocating-movement, a shaft rotatably mounted, a motor for rotating said shaft, pitmanrods connected witl'r the pads-and" the platform;- and means carried by the shaft for shifting the said= pi-tman rodslongitudinally during rotation of the shaft and imparting reciprocating'move ment to the ads and the platform;

3. An operating chair comprising abody, a back tiltably mounted, means for" supporting the back in adjusted-positions; a platform over the body mounted for reciprocating movement and having movements towardand away from the body during such movements; pads infront of the back,- arotataple shaft, means actuated bythe shaftfor simultaneously imparting themovement to the pads and'theplatform; and'drivingmeans for-said shaft:

6 4. An operating chair comprising a body, a back tiltable vertically to adjusted positions, a plat- REFERENCES CITED form mounted f r massaging movements over th The following references are of record in the body, pads mounted for massaging movements file of this patent: at the front of the back and having shanks 5 Tm q extending through openings in the body, a rotat- UNITED STATES PA Ts able shaft, cams carried by said shafts and pitman Number N m Date rods mounted about said cams and connected 1,129,802 Hoard Feb. 23, 1915 with the platform and the shanks of the pads 1,984,397 Dalyze Dec. 18, 1934 for simultaneously imparting movements to the 10 platform and the pads during rotation of the shaft.

GEORGE B. HAMPTON. 

